Here’s a quick lesson in how to enrage your adversaries, courtesy of America’s leading airplane manufacturer.

Boeing has had a famously rocky relationship with its biggest union in recent years, and it got even more strained last month when the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted to reject an offer that would extend their existing contract from 2016 to 2024.

The union is pushing back hard against Boeing’s insistence on changes to the pension plan and pay scale, with the company saying the changes are needed to keep the unionized workforce in Washington state competitive with other potential manufacturing locations. Boeing has relented on the wage structure, but the union’s leadership wasn’t swayed.

So amid tricky negotiations to convince its union of the need for cutbacks in labor costs, how to send the right corporate message?

Boeing Co.’s $95 billion of orders for its planned 777X jetliners ensures healthy demand for the planned new model when it starts deliveries in 2020. But first Boeing needs to keep its production lines churning for six years building the current version of the jet.

Car dealers often have year-end sales to clear old models from their lots before the next year’s crop arrives. For Boeing, the challenge is a bit different: it needs to keep customers buying the old models for several years to generate revenue while the new model is designed, produced and gets up to speed.

At the end of October, Boeing held 326 orders for the current 777s. It’s currently building about 100 a year. So to keep production levels where they are today over the rest of the decade, it would need about 300 more orders.

Here’s some big news from the Dubai Airshow, and while it involves a giant new aircraft order for Boeing, it also hints at how the manufacturer and its rival Airbus could get squeezed more and more in the coming years. Via the WSJ’s Rory Jones:

Qatar Airways and Emirates Airline said they joined forces to negotiate with Boeing for almost $100 billion in deals they signed for the new 777X passenger jet, a first for the carriers that further underscores the shift in power in the aviation industry to the Middle East.

For Boeing and Airbus, early orders for a new plane like the 777X are crucial, letting the companies plan for lengthy production runs and the manufacturing scale needed to justify massive development costs. But when your biggest customers start working together in planning their orders, you can expect to offer some heavy discounts.

Some big news on the future for a flagship of American manufacturing, via the WSJ’s Jon Ostrower:

Boeing and its largest union have entered negotiations over where the planned 777X jetliner will be built, a decision that pits the aerospace giant’s traditional manufacturing base in Washington State against its recently opened nonunion facility in South Carolina.

Boeing on Monday confirmed the negotiations with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The two parties had been in ongoing informal talks over plans for the 777X, but the talks accelerated early last week, according to one person familiar with the discussions.

Tom Buffenbarger, international president of the union, known as the IAM, said the talks are “at a critical stage.” He said more details about the negotiations may be known in “the next 24 to 48 hours.”

While it was long assumed the long-range 777X would be assembled at Boeing’s historic base in Washington, the WSJ reported last week that the company’s new facilities in South Carolina could be chosen to make the plane’s wings and do final assembly.

On an earnings call today, Boeing discussed results that beat Wall Street expectations despite the grounding of the 787 Dreamliner. It also revealed a small but interesting piece of news about the future of its aircraft designers — but you needed to have a keen sense of grammar to pick up the significance of it.

Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney said the company was moving forward with a likely end-of-year launch of its planned new version of its hugely-popular 777, dubbed the 777X. In his opening remarks, Mr. McNerney said the following (emphasis ours):

“The business case for the 777X also continues to mature as we further evaluate options including design and production locations.”

Without the benefit of his written remarks, those listening found that statement hard to parse: Did Mr. McNerney say the company was evaluating options about the jet’s design, as well as where it would be produced?

Or did he say the company was still questioning where the 777X would be designed and produced? The presence (or lack) of a comma changes the meaning in a big way.

But Boeing has confirmed to the WSJ that there was no comma in Mr. McNerney’s statement. “Design and production locations” of the new jet are now in play, opening the door for a major competition to design the 777X.